FMRF, FPO Join Forces to Develop Social Media Guide for Retailers and Wholesalers

The Floral Marketing Research Fund has partnered with the Flower Promotion Organization on a one-year project, A Social Media Guide for Floral Retailers and WholesalersThe Floral Marketing Research Fund (FMRF) has partnered with the Flower Promotion Organization (FPO) on a one-year project, A Social Media Guide for Floral Retailers and Wholesalers.

This guide will analyze social media literature, best practices and case studies to develop a Social Media guide for the floriculture industry.

The project will be conducted by Charles Hall, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, Bridget Behe, Ph.D., Michigan State University, and Chengyan Yue, Ph.D., University of Minnesota.

“The FPO is pleased to partner with FMRF to fund this project that can help better position our industry to engage new and potential consumers of our products to increase consumption,” said Stan Pohmer, executive director of the Flower Promotion Organization.

The FMRF Social Media project seeks to take an in-depth look at how floral retailers can effectively use social media. "The guide we are developing as a part of this AFE grant project is aimed at dispelling that myth and demonstrating the strategic uses of all types of social media, including not only those that are existing today, but those that are coming down the pike," said Dr. Charles Hall. "We're designing the guide to not only educate floral businesses on what social media types are our there, but to demonstrate real-life, hand-on applications by those who have been successful in implementing social media in their businesses."

The guide will include an analysis of specific social media tools with recommendations for how to best use them, and will be applicable to industry members with a wide range of social media experience. The guide will include an electronic PDF document and video series, and will be available this fall.